Board of Directors & Staff

CINDY CORRIE

Board President

Photo credit: Rob Whitlock

Cindy Corrie is the mother of human rights activist and observer Rachel Corrie who was killed March 16, 2003, in the Gaza Strip. Motivated by her daughter’s example, Cindy has dedicated herself to the pursuit of peace and justice in the Middle East. She has made numerous visits to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, including as a co-leader of three Interfaith Peace-Builder delegations. Cindy states, “Rachel wrote of the importance of making commitments to places and initiated one to Rafah and Gaza. The commitment that she made continues.” Cindy resides in Olympia, Washington, where she serves as President of the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice. She and her husband Craig Corrie are recipients of a Human Rights Advocates of the Year Award from Seattle University’s Human Rights Network and a Pillar of Peace Award from the Pacific Northwest Region of the American Friends Service Committee. In October 2012, they accepted the Lennon Ono Grant for Peace on behalf of their daughter Rachel.

CRAIG CORRIE

Board Treasurer

Craig Corrie is the father of Rachel Corrie and a founding board member of the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice. He currently volunteers as Treasurer for RCF. He has, with his wife, Cindy, given talks on peace and justice throughout North America and other parts of the world. He has accompanied Cindy in her travels to Israel/Palestine and had the honor and privilege to make many friends in the area. In previous lives, Craig was a life insurance actuary in an executive capacity with several insurance companies and spent 1970 as a squad leader with the US army combat engineers in Viet Nam.

LIN NELSON

Board Member

Lin Nelson is a retired faculty member at the Evergreen State College. She continues to be active with the college’s Center for Community-based Learning and Action. Her work — as a teacher, researcher, and activist —has focused on social movements, public health, and human rights. She had the honor of working with Rachel when she was a student in the 2001-02 program, Local Knowledge, co-taught with teacher Anne Fischel.

MOHAMED EL-SOKKARY

Board Member

Born in Cairo, Egypt, Mohamed has lived in the Northwest since moving to Olympia from California in 1993. Mohamed has been working with at risk youth since 1994 and taught for 15 years in Olympia schools. He was on the Olympia Co-Op Board of Directors for two years. Mohamed started a local gluten free bakery and successfully established a great following over four years. Mohamed has two children, a son Nigel and daughter Amira, and is married to his wife, Gabrielle. Mohamed has a deep passion for social justice and aims to be a part of social change for the betterment of people struggling around the world.

SAYAD (SY) KHAN

Board Member

Photo Credit: Miguel Pineda

Sayad Khan (Sy) is a long-time volunteer of RCF, serving on the Development Committee and volunteering & MC’ing at the Olympia Arab Fest since its inaugural fest in 2012. Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, Sy grew up in Los Angeles and moved to Olympia in 2009. During his 9 years here, Sy has been an active member of the community, serving in various capacities at the Olympia Film Society, at KAOS radio at the Evergreen State College, and at the Rachel Corrie Foundation. On Saturdays, Sy hosts The Junglee Hour: Music from Bollywood and Beyond from 4-6 pm at KAOS 89.3 FM and loves to DJ and emcee parties & events.

SALLIE SHAWL

Board Member

Sallie Shawl turned her attention to Palestinian human rights in the mid-1980’s when she met some Palestinians in Tacoma. She discovered that their stories were horribly similar to her uncle Richard’s in Austria in the 1930’s. As a Jew saying “Not in my name,” she began working with those Palestinians and others in Tacoma against Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. She retired in 2010 as Director of Paint Tacoma-Pierce Beautiful, a program that organizes volunteers to paint the homes of low-income seniors and people with disabilities. Shortly thereafter, she went to Israel and Palestine, returning home more committed than ever to Palestinian human rights and civil rights. In 2011 she was a co-founder of the Tacoma chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.

WHITNEY FAULKNER

Executive Director

Whitney Faulkner is the first Executive Director of the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice (RCF). She is a lifelong Northwest resident and started volunteering with the Rachel Corrie Foundation in 2005. Whitney was raised in Wenatchee Washington and moved to Olympia in 2004 to attend The Evergreen State College and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts emphasizing Middle Eastern Studies and Political Economics. From 2007 to 2011, Whitney worked in Aleppo, Syria and traveled extensively through the Middle East and North Africa, Whitney has volunteered internationally, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and locally at the Family Support Center, SafePlace, and the Crisis Clinic of Thurston and Mason Counties. Whitney enjoys the company of friends and family and recharges her batteries by running, hiking, and camping her way around the great Pacific Northwest.

ARYN THOMAS

Administrative Manager

Aryn Thomas was born and raised in Olympia, WA. She graduated from Oregon State University last June with a degree in BioHealth Sciences and was president of Sigma Delta Omega, a local sorority for women in science. In order to pay the bills through college, she found a part-time position at the Student Union in the Events Department. She spent two of the three years as an Event Coordinator, specializing in Cultural Events and Large Outdoor Events. Within this position, she worked closely with the local Arab community and found herself enjoying her work almost more than her academics. Becoming more aware of various social justice issues, she knew that there was more she could do within her own community. When she’s not with the RCF, you could find Aryn hiking, dancing or spending time with her friends and family.